The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-30


guidance from the teachers. Ths desirabity Of
such help and the necessity for 1t are apparent
Another Observation-Disclosures teacher, especial
" upon this subject, and generous in his
judgment of his fellow-teachers as any in the
State writes: Il am confident that but very few
people have an idea of the amount OF trash
that is devoured. : find but very few teachers
not more than one in ffty-qualifed to advise
children what to read have known we'll
meaning teachers to advise pupils to read books
which had better never have been printed and
others to recommend the reading of books which
fit only for q certain class of readers, and
not for children. These structures may seem
severe These words may be addressed to some
who are doing their full duty in this regard.
You may be able to call up cities, perhaps
whole county, that doing all that could
reasonably be expected of them in the matter
under consideration. That such cases exist is
cheerfully conceded That they do is the chief
hope of those who desire that such oases may
extend until the entire desert has become
fruitful garden.
Isn't it time to enter upon some systematic
plan for reducing theory to practicef The
need of intelligent guidance in the selection OF
reading matter directions for mastering that Sc
lected; the encouragemens which comes from
recognition of work done; the enthusiasm OF
numbers; the reduction in price of books, which
organization secures-and on, through the
list of considerations that have bean urged in ia
vor of Teachers Reading Circle and which
has resulted in membership Of nearly seven
thousand-all apply with more than equal force
in favor of reading circle for the school children
of the State. Prominent school officers every
where regarding the idea with favor, even
with enthusiasm. One of them writes: The
reading of the children, however good it may
be- is carried entirely without any object in
view. save that of amusement IL it were so di-
rected as to be supplementary to the work of
the school it would result finally in doubling the
efficiency of our schools. Or il it directed
skifully in the line Of literary and general cult
it would accomplish result equally as
great. And the children's reading circle could
accomplish both Says another, L regard
the teachers reading circle the best
move our profession for twenty
years. The proposed ed, reading circle 10 for
Every newspaper in the State would permit the
of its columns to inform parents concerning
the advantage which the enterprise would
bring to their chIldrsn every pulpit would
champion the cause Would such enterprise
require work on the part of the teachersl Yes,
some Most of the work of planning courses
and preparing matter for local papers, pulpit
notices. etc, could be done by central commit
Qure effort on the part of every superin-
tendent and teacher in the State But
could, with profit to all concerned, substract
some of the time devoted obtaining and
computing psr cents and apply it to securing
results that Transcend the power OF system
of numbers to compute. If you could not GET
lieved of this gradgrind you might add a little
to your present work in a direction that would
promote your culture while securing the
highest good of your pupils.
NV ould the association cost anything to those
receiving IT'S benefits2 Yes. little. Esop's
Fables. which contain practical wisdom
than exhibited by the last Legislature of
y
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, which
points out the steps by which the greatest
American assembled those heights which every
bright boy aspires to reach costs 10 cents and
/ am not sure that any reduction could be had
on these; but they would make interesting aud
profitable reading for several months But sup
pose the books, and that would be the only
pense. did cost Is cents year per member, sup
pose even that the list included books supple
mentiDg your work in geography, in reading. in
history, at q cost of % cents, 80 cents,
dollar, and suppose it necessary for each
member to purchase such a book every second
or third month. what then2 The parents of
Indiana are not paupers.
Every good thing had beginning. The
great puhlic-school system itself was begun by
there neither precedent to encourage
example to guide. What State has better
right to set the example to other States in every
thing that is good and great than the State of
Indana7 What body is more entitled to the
honor of inaugurating great movement in be-
half of school children than the Teachers Assoc
citation of 1ndianaF
Professor Swings Lecture on Novels.
Professor David Swing of Chicago, lectured
at Plymouth Church last evening under the
auspices of the teachers association. His sub
ject was 1.-THE Place of the Novel Among
Books" He said that the novel is that form of
literature which brings strong thoughts and
feelings embodied in beautiful language the
VIII ole theme of which is decorated with the
woman which constitutes the peculiar not
essence of the novel. The ideal novel is
the whole world of literature. but a branch, a |
golden branch plucked from the great forest of
literature. In tracing the descent of the rove one
must go back in the ages. The Egyptians had no
novel They great in architecture, but |
they could not carve or paint beautiful human |
faces They saw beautiful men, If there is such |
a thing, aud beautiful women, but they could |
not go to a block of marble or a |
canvass and outline beautiful face.
49,
the Greeks appear with their chisel and brush.
They discovered woman. they made her equal
in station and privilege with the man. and from
her beauty, which they enshrined, grew the
novel of Sophocles. They knew what the Eegp-
tians never did-the lines of beauty. They dis
covered that, for symmetrical outline, the
height of the forehead should be one-third the
height of the face, that the length of the
nose and from the to the chin should be
equally one third the length of the face. the
circumference of the neck should be twice that
of the wrist, and the waist should be twice that
of the neck. But the Greek face was not per-
feet, and to Angelo and Raphael we must look |
for the ideal human face.
A woman cannot be the alpha and omega of
a novel She must only be its decoration aud
moral. political and religious-must be present
to constitute ideal novel That is
the inspiration OF the novel there be no
ubt for in those nations and times in which
she pushed to the rear there appears
novel. In India, Assyria and Persia. where
woman was but serf. this truth is exemplified
|
empire. when in Europe men only were hon
ored there is the same dearth of the novel But |
when the light of the fifteenth century burst
over Europe and woman began to occupy place
in the esteem of mankind, the novel began to
appear.
We all the children of inspiration, and it
is beauty that inspires. Woman, perceiving this
ss she does eminent degree, thus be-
comes the source of our finest feelings. Man,
from lack of beauty, never appears to a great
extent in the finest efforts of imagination.
Whom picture the graces. they are women.
When seek symbols for dawn, for spring.
for summer, for autumn, 1t Is woman again; but
winter. harsh and severe. is represented by
man
In citing novelsts, whose works exemplfed
MS statement the speaker mentioned Dickens
As having been criticized for his omission of
.oman the identifying element of his novels,
ind said: ''But Dickens had an underlying
heme of beauty in benevolence. He took the
&aEk -. .-,a- i L.